§ Sir WILLIAM DAVISONI beg to ask you, Mr. Speaker, a question of which I have given you private notice, namely, if your attention has been called to the use of certain rooms in the House of Commons on Friday last for the purpose of entertaining representatives of the Soviet Socialist Republics, whose conduct had been condemned on the previous day by a Resolution of this House and who had been requested by the Government to leave this country; and if you can state what are the rules governing the use of rooms of the House of Commons on occasions such as this?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI find that the Chairman of the Kitchen Committee is away, but I have made inquiries as to the practice, and I am informed that rooms under the Refreshment Department are allotted to the Members who apply for them as far as the accommodation will go, and that no conditions or inquiries are made as to the guests Members propose to entertain. If it be suggested that I should undertake that duty, I am afraid I shall have to decline it.
§ Sir W. DAVISONIs not the position this, that in the past the House of Commons has relied upon the honour of individual Members—[Interruption.]
§ Mr. MAXTONOn a point of Order. Are you, Mr. Speaker, prepared to allow an hon. Member on the other side of the House to cast reflections upon the honour of hon. Members sitting on this side?
§ Sir W. DAVISONPerhaps I may be allowed to finish my sentence.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI listened carefully to the hon. Member for South Kensington (Sir W. Davison) and it sounded a little doubtful, but I must hear the end of the sentence.
§ Sir W. DAVISONMy question was to ask you, Mr. Speaker, whether the position was considered to be this: that in the past the House has relied upon the honour of individual Members to see that no affront is placed on the House of Commons as a whole?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI think the House can always rely on the honour of its Members.
§ Mr. SAKLATVALAApart from the question of permission, is it undesirable that Members of this House should make use of its rooms to retrieve in some measure the lost honour of Great Britain?